A New Year
It’s been a while since I’ve been blogging regularly but I still find myself pondering potential posts (say that 10 times fast). One of my resolutions for 2016 is to get back to blogging since having this record of my life and work since 2010 (!) is invaluable. When I talk to someone about something I covered on the blog I can easily reference it with a link or call up the post myself to fill in the details. When I want to reminisce or remember what I was doing at a certain point in time I have this digital record.
Being a diligent writer and recorder was certainly easier before I became a mother but I find that I miss it. Mostly, I miss the way that blogging helps me to digest my experiences to more deeply understand their impact. So, in 2016, I’m carving out the time and space to be the storyteller of my own life again. I hope you’ll continue to be along for the ride.
Happy New Year,
Mari
She’s the First Panel
I had an incredible conversation with other female social entrepreneurs about women’s economic empowerment. Thanks to She’s The First and Dermalogica’s FITE Foundation for sponsoring this great conversation that was streamed live on college campuses across the country.
Sharing My Grown Up Gigs
I am so grateful to Michelle Ward over at When I Grow Up for having me on her podcast, “Grown Up Gigs.” We talk about creative careers, juggling passion projects, serving in the Peace Corps, and my latest side project: Dear Daughter Love Me. Find the podcast here and while you’re there check out the other podcasts and interviews. I am really proud and honored to be included in this group of amazingly inspirational women!
Enjoy, Mari
Commercials Leading the Way
Wells Fargo
I recently saw the above commercial for Wells Fargo and after I wiped away a tear, I thought to myself, I wonder how many ads there are that feature gay couples. I looked it up and found that there are quite a few commercials out there representing brands and companies who weren’t afraid to be inclusive, even before the recent landmark Supreme Court decision extending marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. Here’s some more proof that #lovewins.
Enjoy, Mari
Honey Maid
Tylenol
Chobani
Coca Cola
AllState
Amazon
A Few of My Favorite Free Web Apps
INSPIRATION:
Medium
I learned about Medium at the Hopscotch Design Fest last year from Elle Luna, who gave the keynote at the conference. It’s a great online magazine with a clean design and interesting topics contributed by writers both known and obscure.
Spoken
Described as “Instagram for audio” this brand new site has a lot of potential to catch on. I’ve listened to a few entries and it seems even more intimate than podcasting – like listening to meaningful voice mail messages from strangers. Each one is less than 4 minutes long and the topics are as diverse as the contributors.
CREATION:
Trello
I’ve used Trello for over a year now and I love it! From web development projects to marketing campaigns it is an excellent way to organize information, share the status of tasks, and collaborate with teams. There are paid versions available but the free one has worked well for me so far.
Morpholio Board
I’ve recently discovered this app for my iPad and iPhone. While Morpholio has many different productivity apps, the one I use is Morpholio Board that facilitates making inspiration and mood boards. I used it to make the boards for my last Favorite Things post below (and here). It allows you to clip images from the web and apps like Pinterest. It’s free with optional in-app purchases.
InVision
InVision is an amazing app that lets you prototype a website so easily and seamlessly I recently had a client who didn’t believe what I sent her was a mock-up. Sign up for free here.
A Few of Our Favorite Things…
Mari’s Favorite Baby Buys
When you have a baby, lots of people give you advice not just on child rearing but on what you “need” to buy. I’m from the camp that you “need” very little so it was quite a shock when family and friends gifted and handed us down enough clothing, toys, accessories, and gadgets to raise five kids!
Not only were we so fortunate that we didn’t need to buy a lot and we could give new life to old things but we could be especially choosy about the few items we did end up purchasing. In no particular order, here’s a list of some of the baby stuff I’m glad we bought.
1. Chewbeads
Created by a mom, these silicone beads are stylish and functional, serving as a safe piece of jewelry that a baby can chomp while teething. I’ve been wearing my red Chewbeads necklace since Brooklyn cut her first tooth. They are easy to clean with soap and water or put them in the dishwasher! See their website here.
2. Charlie Banana One-Size Cloth Diapers
If you’re interested in cloth diapering we have found Charlie Banana’s One-Size diapers to be the best for us. We didn’t want to invest too much in a particular size (new born, small etc.) so the one-size variety pack (we chose the gender-neutral tutti fruitti colors) has served us well. When we decided to buy more diapers we tried another, less expensive one-size brand and although the designs and patterns are cute, they just don’t do the job as well. We reach for the Charlie Banana’s first and that says something. Find them here.
3. Oxo Tot Roll Up Bib
This is our favorite bib – not only does it actually catch everything that Brook spits out or drops but it washes easily, rolls up for easy travel, and has stood up to over a year of use and still looks brand new. Find it here.
4. Handkerchief Style Bibs
A mom from a mommy’s group I used to belong to recommended these handkerchief bibs. They are adorable and even better at catching drool than a regular bib because they bunch up, are triangularly shaped, and are lined with absorbent fleece material. We loved them so much we bought two different sets from two different sellers on Amazon mostly to vary the adorable cloth designs. I would recommend either one. Find them here and here.
5. Ikea Antilop High Chair
One of the best pieces of advice my sister gave me about buying baby stuff was to get this high chair because it’s easiest to clean (and cheaper than most others – it’s $15). We have also found it to be pretty portable since you can detach the legs and take off the tray. Easy to clean, cute, and inexpensive? What’s not to love? Find the Antilop High Chair here.
6. Sassy Suction Toy
Brook is a curious gal and while she is very well behaved in restaurants and at the table, she often grabs at silverware, plates, glasses…basically anything she can get her hands on. To keep her at least a little occupied, I got this toy that suctions to any hard surface from her high chair to a restaurant table. It spins but thankfully doesn’t make any annoying noises – no batteries necessary. Oh yeah – it costs under $6 on Amazon as an add-on item! Find it here.
7. Munchkin White Hot Spoons
When I first bought these spoons I didn’t appreciate just how useful they would turn out to be. Not only does the color of the spoon change with a temperature change – turning to white when the food is too hot – but they are also designed and weighted so that when they fall the spoon part rarely hits the floor. Genius! Also available on Amazon for $5! Find them here.
8. Melissa and Doug Deluxe Band Set
This was Brooklyn’s holiday gift from her Mimi and Popi and she loves it! This set comes with enough wooden instruments to hold your own music class. I also appreciate that the instruments are actual instruments not just toy models of instruments and aren’t made out of plastic. Granted, the recorder doesn’t work so well but everything else in this set feels substantial and it comes in a nice wooden tray. Find it here.
And now, Brooklyn weighs in…
1. Any Electronic
2. Reading Books
3. Discovery Kids Bubble Gun
4. Eating Oranges or Clementines
5. Eating Bread
6. Hide N Squeak Eggs
7. Reading (Ripping) Magazines
8. Eating Plain Greek Yogurt
9. Melissa and Doug Alligator Push Toy
Free Find: Painted Wooden Blocks
Paul and I found these delightfully painted wooden blocks during another trip to the recycling center. I’ve never seen these childhood staples with quite the same designs, which harken back to the 60s or 70s. My favorite block is the Town Hall and I also love the little trees. In the photos you’ll see a mix of the blocks that we found (skyscrapers, trains, trees, houses, tow truck) mixed with our Spanish wooden blocks and a few other goodies from our toy chest. Brook had fun knocking everything down once I had taken the photos!
Enjoy, Mari
